Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Micro-mechanical properties of C–S–H modified by various carbon nanotubes and the correlation with the nano/micro-structures

  • Research Letter
  • Published:
MRS Communications Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

This study is to explore the micro-mechanical properties of C–S–H modified by various carbon nanotubes and the correlation with the nano/micro-structures. The results show that carboxyl-functionalized single-walled carbon nanotubes provide the great template for the growth of C–S–H and reduce the porosity and surface defects of C–S–H particles. The highly ordered and dense layered structure of C–S–H greatly improves its micro-mechanical properties. In addition, the functional groups (–COOH) of functionalized carbon nanotubes can combine with the Ca–O bond of C–S–H to change the interlayer spacing of C–S–H, and the effects are particularly significant at low Ca/Si.

Graphical abstract

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3
Figure 4

Similar content being viewed by others

Data availability

The datasets generated during and/or analyzed during the current study are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.

References

  1. A. Bentur, S. Mindess, Fiber Reinforced Cementitious Composites (Elsevier Applied Science, London, 2007)

    Google Scholar 

  2. Q. Liu, Z. Lu, X. Hu, B. Chen, Z. Li, R. Liang, A mechanical strong polymer-cement composite fabricated by in situ polymerization within the cement matrix. J. Build. Eng. 42, 103048 (2021)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  3. Z. Lu, X. Li, A. Hanif, B. Chen, P. Parthasarathy, J. Yu, Early-age interaction mechanism between the graphene oxide and cement hydrates. Constr. Build. Mater. 152, 232–239 (2017)

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  4. C.A. Jones, Z.C. Grasley, J.A. Ohlhausen, Measurement of elastic properties of calcium silicate hydrate with atomic force microscopy. Cem. Concr. Compos. 34, 468–477 (2012)

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  5. C. Hu, Y. Ruan, S. Yao, F. Wang, Y. Gao, Insight into the evolution of the elastic properties of calcium-silicate-hydrate (C-S-H) gel. Cem. Concr. Compos. 104, 103342 (2019)

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  6. H.F. Taylor, J.W. Howlson, Relationships between calcium silicates and clay minerals. Clay Miner. Bull. 3(16), 98–111 (1956)

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  7. I.G. Richardson, The calcium silicate hydrates. Cem. Concr. Res. 38(2), 137–158 (2008)

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  8. M. Kamali, A. Ghahremaninezhad, Effect of biomolecules on the nanostructure and nanomechanical property of calcium-silicate-hydrate. Sci. Rep. 8(1), 9491 (2018)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  9. J. Starr, E.M. Soliman, E.N. Matteo, T. Dewers, M.M. Taha, Mechanical characterization of low modulus polymer-modified calcium-silicate-hydrate(C–S–H) binder. Cem. Concr. Compos. 124, 104219 (2021)

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  10. A. Picker, L. Nicoleau, Z. Burghard, J. Bill, I. Zlotnikov, C. Labbez et al., Mesocrystalline calcium silicate hydrate: a bioinspired route toward elastic concrete materials. Sci. Adv. (2017). https://doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.1701216

    Article  Google Scholar 

  11. S. Yao, F. Zou, C. Hu, F. Wang, S. Hu, New insight into design of highly ordered calcium silicate hydrate with graphene oxide. J. Am. Ceram. Soc. 103(1), 681–691 (2019)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  12. M.S. Dresselhaus, G. Dresselhaus, A. Jorio, Unusual properties and structure of carbon nanotubes. Annu. Rev. Mater. Res. 34, 247–278 (2004)

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  13. W. Dong, Y. Guo, Z. Sun, Z. Tao, W. Li, Development of piezoresistive cement-based sensor using recycled waste glass cullets coated with carbon nanotubes. J. Clean. Prod. 314, 127968 (2021)

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  14. B. Zou, S.J. Chen, A.H. Korayem, F. Collins, C. Wang, W. Duan, Effect of ultrasonication energy on engineering properties of carbon nanotube reinforced cement pastes. Carbon 85, 212–220 (2015)

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  15. S. Parveen, S. Rana, R. Fangueiro, M.C. Paiva, Microstructure and mechanical properties of carbon nanotube reinforced cementitious composites developed using a novel dispersion technique. Cem. Concr. Res. 73, 215–227 (2015)

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  16. L. Chia, Y. Huang, P. Lu, A.N. Bezbaruah, Surface modification of carbon nanotubes using carboxymethyl cellulose for enhanced stress sensing in smart cementitious composites. IEEE Sens. J. 21(13), 15218–15229 (2021)

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  17. Y. Geng, M. Wang, X. Zhao, Mechanical behavior and microstructure of cement composites incorporating surface-treated multi-walled carbon nanotubes. Carbon 43(6), 1239–1245 (2005)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  18. M.S. Konsta-Gdoutos, E.E. Gdoutos, P.A. Danoglidis, S. Ashok, Fracture parameters of nanoreinforced cement mortars: the effect of CNT functionalization. Strength Fract. Complex. 11(2–3), 1–10 (2018)

    Google Scholar 

  19. S. Gautham, S. Sasmal, Determination of fracture toughness of nano-scale cement composites using simulated nanoindentation technique. Theoret. Appl. Fract. Mech. 103, 102275 (2019)

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  20. J. Chen, S.J. Bull, Indentation fracture and toughness assessment for thin optical coatings on glass. J. Phys. D Appl. Phys. 40(18), 5401 (2007)

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  21. M.R. Taha, E. Soliman, M. Sheyka, A. Reinhardt, M. Al-Haik, Fracture toughness of hydrated cement paste using nanoindentation. Fract. Mech. Concr. 105–111 (2010)

  22. W.C. Oliver, G.M. Pharr, An improved technique for determining hardness and elastic modulus using load and displacement sensing indentation experiments. J. Mater. Res. 7(06), 1564–1583 (1992)

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  23. I. García-Lodeiro, A. Fernández-Jiménez, M.T. Blanco, A. Palomo, FTIR study of the sol–gel synthesis of cementitious gels: C-S-H and N–A–S–H. J. Sol-Gel Sci. Technol. 45(1), 63–72 (2008)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  24. P. Yu, R.J. Kirkpatrick, B. Poe, P.F. McMillan, X.D. Cong, Structure of calcium silicate hydrate(C-S-H): near-, mid-, and far-infrared spectroscopy. J. Am. Ceram. Soc. 82(3), 742–748 (1999)

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  25. J. Wang, Z. Hu, Y. Chen, J. Huang, Y. Ma, W. Zhu, Effect of Ca/Si and Al/Si on micromechanical properties of C(-A)-S-H. Cem. Concr. Res. 157, 106811 (2022)

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  26. J. Minet, S. Abramson, B. Bresson, C. Sanchez, V. Montouillout, N. Lequeux, New layered calcium organosilicate hybrids with covalently linked organic functionalities. Chem. Mater. 16(20), 3955–3962 (2007)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  27. S. Grangeon, F. Claret, Y. Linard, C. Chiaberge, X-ray diffraction: a powerful tool to probe and understand the structure of nanocrystalline calcium silicate hydrates. Acta Crystallogr. Sect. B: Struct. Sci. Cryst. Eng. Mater. 69(5), 465–473 (2013)

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgments

The authors are grateful to the support from National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 51925205).

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. State Key Laboratory of Silicate Materials for Architectures, Wuhan University of Technology, Wuhan, China

    Xinfeng Qiao, Chuanlin Hu, Shun Yao & Fazhou Wang

  2. School of Materials Science and Engineering, Wuhan University of Technology, Wuhan, China

    Xinfeng Qiao & Shun Yao

Authors
  1. Xinfeng Qiao
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Chuanlin Hu
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Shun Yao
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Fazhou Wang
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding authors

Correspondence to Chuanlin Hu or Fazhou Wang.

Ethics declarations

Conflict of interest

There are no conflicts to declare.

Additional information

Publisher's Note

Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

Supplementary Information

Below is the link to the electronic supplementary material.

Supplementary file1 (DOCX 1517 KB)

Rights and permissions

Springer Nature or its licensor (e.g. a society or other partner) holds exclusive rights to this article under a publishing agreement with the author(s) or other rightsholder(s); author self-archiving of the accepted manuscript version of this article is solely governed by the terms of such publishing agreement and applicable law.

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Qiao, X., Hu, C., Yao, S. et al. Micro-mechanical properties of C–S–H modified by various carbon nanotubes and the correlation with the nano/micro-structures. MRS Communications 13, 268–275 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1557/s43579-023-00339-0

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1557/s43579-023-00339-0

Keywords

Search

Navigation